Daily Offices for Me

I am often asked what I do for my Daily Offices. The answer is not too complex. I generally pause 3-4x a day – morning for a longer period, midday, evening and compline (right before going to bed). I have been meditation on and praying the psalms now for over 3 and a half years, using the schedule found in the end of the Book of Common Prayer. (I have also made it available as a download from our resources at the EHS and NLF website). I don’t keep to the daily schedule with dates but just keep moving along day by day. I think it works out to praying through the Psalter every 5-6 weeks. This is my bread and butter. I generally will take 2 ten to twenty minutes blocks of silence somewhere in my offices (almost always in the morning). I almost always have a devotional handy (like the Sayings of the Desert Fathers or Cassian) and will go through seasons of memorizing a passage or Psalm through the day (I have been on Ps. 116 for over a month). If I get restless, I will go the gospels and read them in a lectio divina way, but I find myself almost always back to the PSalms. Finally, I pray through the Lord’s Prayer 2-3x a day at my offices. It keeps me grounded, especially about THY WILL BE DONE as I find my will quickly takes over during a day filled with activity! Anyway, Geri says I am a bit legalistic. Probably so, but I am in such need of stopping that I would be out of control without it. I love the Offices and cannot imagine now living without them. The important thing is to connect with God doing what works for you in the season you are in now. What have you found helpful that might help others?